Section 8 of the Housing Act, often simplyknown as Section 8, as repeatedly amended,authorizes the payment of rental housingassistance to private landlords on behalfof approximately 3.1 million low-incomehouseholds. It operates through severalprograms, the largest of which, the HousingChoice Voucher program, pays a large portionof the rents and utilities of about 2.1million households. The US Department ofHousing and Urban Development manages theSection 8 programs.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program provides"tenant-based" rental assistance, so anassisted tenant can move with assistance fromone unit of at least minimum housing qualityto another. It also allows individuals toapply their monthly voucher towards the purchaseof a home.

Section 8 also authorizes a variety of "project-based"rental assistance programs, under which the ownerreserves some or all of the units in a building forlow-income tenants, in return for a Federal governmentguarantee to make up the difference between the tenant'scontribution and the rent specified in the owner'scontract with the government.

A tenant who leaves a subsidized project will loseaccess to the project-based subsidy.